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The Yucatan Events
The Yucatan events is a catch-all term for the 12 game campaign which centered on a month long investigation by reporter/blogger Tia Ortiz in Aztlan's Yucatan region. It marked the introduction of several important characters to the overall Stam campaign, including Chavez Caldera and his father Dominico, Venus, Amateretsu, and even the first appearance of Thomas "T-Rex" Florence in the timeline. Regional background The Yucatan was always a region distinct from Mexico, with it's own Spanish dialect, unique geography, and particular cuisine. Even when Mexico became Aztlan this rift persisted, the tension culminating in the bloody supression of a burgeoning secessionist movement in 2050, known as the Campeche Massacre, followed by the arrival of an organized, well-armed, and secretly backed guerrilla movement. The war swung between hot and cold, more or less unabated until 2062, when Aztlan attempted to win it with a brutal assault of chemical weapons and deforestation, killing thousands. This war was brought to a halt by a sudden 8.0 magnitude earthquake, burying Aztlan's armies, guerrilla forces, and civilians without any regard. The area was placed under complete media blackout following this unexpected cessation of the war. What slipped out during this time were frightening stories of what appeared to be nature directly attacking humanity; spirits spontaniously manifesting in the jungles and waters of the region to attack Aztlan and rebel forces alike, toxic forms emerging from areas polluted by Aztlaner chemical weapons and going on mad rampages, and the jungle itself growing with a rapidity that was anything but natural, taking back numerous towns and small cities from metahumanity and covering them in an endless sea of green. Hundreds of magicians from across the world, whether those attempting to heal this madness, or those fighting for one side or the other, were driven mad by the horrendous astral pollution created by the desecration of the land. Many franmed the entire situation as the Yucatan itself striking back at those who had so defiled it. However, with the elevation of a previously unknown executive named Dominico Caldera to the presidency of AZT-Yucatan things markedly improved. A native of the region himself, this erstwhile son began quickly putting things back in order upon his return: Local farmers were put to work on state subsidized mango farms, entire villages and cities were rebuilt, corps of hunters led by local shamans were organized to protect the people from the randomly manifesting spirits of the jungle, and Aztlan/AZT military units were repurposed to clean up the most polluted areas created by their own rampant use of chemical weapons. Though far from universally loved by the people of the region, many of whom cannot bring themselves to extend Aztlan even the slimmest bit of trust, Caldera does seem to represent an attempt by Aztlan to reassess their historically troubled relationship with the region. Summary of events Act 1 - Aztlan Events began in disparate places: Boston, UCAS and the gulf of Aztlan. Tia Ortiz, an independent journalist affiliated with a Matrix-based newsfeed called CorpsCops and a technomancer just a year out from her Resonance event, receives a call from her editor at CorpsCops, and ex-boyfriend, Benjamin "Benji" Marley, informing her that the notoriously secretive nation of Aztlan will be lifting the six year media blackout on the Yucatan the very next day.. Not explaining how he came upon this information a day before the rest of the news media, Benji offers Tia the job of covering the story for CorpsCops. Giving her a rundown of the basic situation in the Yucatan, Benji tells Tia to focus on exposing whatever the truth is behind Caldera. Neither he, nor CorpsCop, nor at this time Tia, believe that AZT truly has the best interests of the people they have till now so brutally oppressed. At the same time, Venus is disembarking a pirate boat sailing out of New Orleans, CAS and docking in Campeche, Aztlan. Smuggled into the region by a friend known as Atari, who has contacts amongst the Carib pirates, Venus is fleeing the vengeance of a dangerous enemy named Moran. She is greeted at the docks by Jujube, a Carib pirate fixer and mutual friend of Atari, who says she'll help Venus find a job with one of the numerous mercenary companies in the region, and that she can stay with her until she does. Benji ends up contacting Jujube that very night, looking for a freelancer to take on the role of bodyguard for the two weeks Tia is scheduled to be in the Yucatan. Pleased at the apparent serendipity, Juju informs Venus, who accepts the contract. The next day Venus and Tia meet at the Campeche train station, Tia having ridden it from the Aztlan capital of Tenochtitlan. The two find themselves well suited, and a friendship begins almost immediately despite Tia's natural reluctence to let anyone close for fear they may discover her secret. The two find a hotel room and, with Venus as an escort, Tia begins familiarizing herself with the region by immersing herself into it. With only a few hours work she turns up a tip from a mysterious figure at a local dive bar; the true backbone of the region is the farmers, and most of those farmers work on state-supported mango co-ops created by Caldera. Talking to one of those farmers is the surest way of getting the pulse of the local population. Venturing to the nearest co-ops, the pair find a shakedown going on; a pair of corrupt police officers (Part of a locally run police force known as the Yucatan Security Division) are demanding a bribe from a farmer named Tomas Rodrigo, claiming his soil quality is well below code. Inspecting the device the YSD officers are using from hiding Tia discovers that they are falsifying the readings, a perfect example of the kind of abuse and corruption of the locals that Benji asked her to find. When the pair of police officers start to beat Tomas, Venus and Tia leap from hiding, soundly beating the corrupt pair. A greatful Tomas answers many questions for Tia, providing her with valuable insight into the region, and gives her the name of one of the "spirit hunter" shamans who watches over the people outside the cities. The pair also receive a free crate of sweet, delicious mangos. Returning to Campeche they witness a man decrying Aztlan and AZT vocally, using very combative language, who has gathered quite an audience. A trio of Aztechnology soldiers arrive and Tia, anticipating the man's probably violent arrest, opens a direct channel to Benji as she records the events. Both are surprised when the lead soldier, an elf, simply engages the man in conversation, asking him if there is anything Aztlan/AZT can do in his eyes to atone for their crimes. The whole scene breaks up shortly thereafter with no violence whatsoever, and Tia, though not Benji, finds herself wondering for the first time if she might be approaching the whole story with too much bias against Aztlan/AZT. The next morning Venus receives a call from a very tired Jujube, informing her that one of her potential employers, the mercenary company known as Legion, has a representative who wishes to meet her at that very moment. Heading down the beach to a small coffee shack, Venus meets an extremely rigid dwarf with an unsettling demeanor. Though she does not know it, this is Eric King, president of Legion. He explains to her that Legion has the contract through Aztlan to provide bodyguards to all visiting foreign reporters, and Tia "slipped through the cracks", thanks to her editor's overzealousness in getting her to the scene first. He offers to hire Venus on a probationary basis, thus allowing Tia to keep her current bodyguard and insure Legion's legal right remains intact. Distrusting the dwarf, Venus politely but coldly declines. Though most, including Jujube later that day, would consider Venus' actions foolish, considering being hired with one of the mercenary companies was her original goal, not to mention with her special forces training and physical adept abilities she would be extremely well paid, it is proven later that Venus was right to trust her instincts. For the next two days the pair investigate and record, Venus proving to be a surprisingly competent technical assistent. The end up speaking with Akira Santiago, the shaman who Tomas Rodrigo told them about, at a strange little restaurant/cafe called La Rama de Olivio (The Olive Branch). Santiago provides a great deal of useful background about the perspective of various people across the region in regards to Caldera. Asked his own opinion, he expresses no hatred or anger towards Caldera, only asking "How many mangos does it take to bring a dead child back?" The duo part with Santiago on friendly terms, before they are approached by Matrona, the mysterious but very kindly woman who runs La Rama. Subtly drawing information about their purpose from them, Matrona seemingly takes to the pair, offering to have Lobos, the mysteriously mummy-like doorman of the establishment, prepare the duo a room upstairs to stay the night. Already beginning to become paranoid that they may be in some danger, and not liking the seeming ease with which Legion found their hotel room, Venus accepts Matrona's offer. Act 2 - Chavez Notable debuts Write the second section of your article here.